The Best Music Acts from SXSW That You May Not Know, But You Will Love

“Drowning in sound” is, I’m sure, a metaphor you’ve read many times. But unless you’ve walked down Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, during the SXSW Music festival, you really don’t know what it means to be so buffeted by the waves of music emanating from every bar front that you fear you may forget to take your next breath. That is drowning in music and that is SXSW—well, that and really good taco trucks is SXSW. Amidst this chaotic din the megastars easily stand out. Kanye West and Jay Z at the Samsung party tonight are without a doubt the hot ticket every one is talking about. But a trip to Austin should be about the new, the undiscovered—and not the celebrities. Festivalgoers should wander the downtown area (Austin touts itself as having more live music venues per capita of anywhere in the world.) and chance upon an unsung genius—though, yes, there’s that whole drowning thing. To help you out, here’s a list of fifteen acts not to be missed at this year’s SXSW.

A$AP Mob

The NYC collective dropped the single “Trillmatic” a few months ago, but their delayed EP means the only place to hear more new tracks is at the show.

Black LipsThese perennially underrated Atlantan indie rockers can play the hell out of a show.

Chlöe HowlShe had us at the cute haircut. Then she blew us away with the music.

CavemanElectronic music that manages to be both hugely epic and sweetly intimate.

GHXSTDroning electric guitar dominates the dreamy metal-inflected performances of this new and hotly tipped New York band.

Glass AnimalsPart of the new crop of big-sounding Brit pop bands in the vein of Alt-J.

HighasaKiteNorway doesn’t put out as many pop gems as its easterly Scandinavian neighbor, but when it does, as heard with the songs of HighasaKite, they are often far weirder than whatever Sweden has to offer.

Juan WautersAs far as we know, this guy has absolutely nothing to do with John Waters—but if the homophonic name isn’t enough to rouse your curiousity, his shimmery sixties-style folk vocals will.

Jessy LanzaClose your eyes and you’ll think you’re listening to the latest down-tempo DJ import from Berlin; open them and you’ll see a girl singing into a mic and creating beats live on a Roland, no prerecorded music in sight.

The Kite String TangleI could describe **Danny Harley’**s lush, all-enveloping melodies, but I’d rather point you to the obvious and tell you to imagine the kind of songwriters who romanticize tangled kite strings—then you won’t need my help at all.

Pure Bathing CultureWith these guys, the focus is on the kind of nostalgia that is more about being content than being sad.